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IT WAS LUCKY HEN WAS A STRONG BOY FOR HIS AGE. 

Frontispiece. See Page 56 


WHEN CHRISTMAS 
CAME TOO EARLY 


BY 

MABEL FULLER BLODGETT 

Authoi’ of “The Giant’s Ruby,” etc. 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 

RALPH McClellan 


BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 
1912 



4 ^ 





Cop7jright, J913, 

By Little, Brown, and Company. 
All rights reserved 

Published, September, 1912 


Printed hy 

Louis E. Crosscup, Boston, U. S. A. 



£ CI.A3i;()683 

I 









LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR 


It was lucky Ben was a strong boy for his 

age Frontispiece ^ 

Before he had made up his mind, the shrill 

little voice sounded again . . Page 3 ^ 

I’ve missed a whole month somehow ” “ 35 

Under the great fur robe in the sleigh, he 

peeped without being seen . , “ 44*^ 

Her voice made him think of falling icicles “ 52 

Ben found the garden very lonely . . “ 99 



WHEN CHRISTMAS 
CAME TOO EARLY 

CHAPTER I 

Ben was a boy who always wanted 
things just a little different from the 
way they were. If his mother gave 
him jam for dessert, he would be apt 
to complain because it hadn’t been 
pie, and when his uncle William pre- 
sented him with a fine new bicycle, 
Ben, I am sorry to tell you, began al- 
most at once to say that he wished his 


1 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


wheel had been painted red instead 
of blue. 

So, of course, you will not be sur- 
prised when I add that Ben found a 
great deal of fault because Christmas 
did not come earlier. In fact, he 
grumbled so much about it, and talked 
in such a silly way, that at last his 
father lost patience with him and sent 
him upstairs to bed without any sup- 
per. 

I think it’s mean,” said Ben, as 
loud as he dared, as he went slowly to 
his room; if Christmas came sooner, 
I shouldn’t have so much school, and, 
besides, there’d be lots more time to 
use the new skates that I think moth- 
2 



BEFORE HE HAD MADE UP HIS MIND THE SHRILL LITTLE 
VOICE SOUNDED AGAIN. Page 3 









.V 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


er 's going to buy me.’^ And he pushed 
open his chamber door. I just wish 
I could fix things once/^ he added, as 
after swiftly undressing he got into bed. 

“ Do you? asked a shrill little 
voice that made Ben jump, and he 
looked about the room in amazement. 
Everything seemed as Usual. His white 
iron four-post bed with the coverlid 
neatly turned back was quite the same, 
his dressing-gown folded and lying on 
the chair just as his mother had left it, 
his fishing-rod in its place in the corner, 
the window — But what was that on 
the window? Ben didn^t quite know 
whether to look again, or to jump up 
and run downstairs; and before he 


3 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 

had made up his mind, the shrill little 
voice sounded again, — 

Don^t be afraid. I’m a friend of 
yours, and I think just as you do about 
Christmas. It certainly ought to be 
earlier, and I’ll help you to make it 
so, if you like.” 

Ben could hardly believe his ears. 
To begin with, people didn’t generally 
agree with him. His mother usually 
said, Oh, do run along, you foolish 
boy! ” and his father was very apt to 
cut short any argument with, Not 
another word, my son.” It was very 
pleasant to hear that his idea of the 
matter had been right, and besides 
the voice came from such a small figure 


4 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


perched on the window-ledge; any- 
thing so tiny could hardly do him any 
harm. And if this queer little object 
really could help him, what fun it 
would be; and people would find out 
that some boys knew a great deal more 
than some grown people. 

So, thinking of all these things, Ben 
sat up straighter and took a better look 
at his strange visitor. 

A queer little person he surely was : 
not over a foot high, with a brown 
skin, twinkling brown eyes, and a small, 
turned-up nose. He was dressed in 
nut-brown doublet and hose, with cap 
and shoes of the same color; so when 
he said abruptly, in answer to the 


5 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


boy’s questioning look, I’m a 
Brownie,” the name seemed just what 
it should be. 

“ Do you live far from here? ” asked 
Ben politely. 

Here and there and everywhere,” 
answered the small creature airily. I 
like fun, and I go where I wish to 
get it. I’ve just come this morning 
from the North Pole, and if you mean 
what you say, you shall go back with 
me there to-night.” 

At this Ben’s eyes and mouth opened 
wide with astonishment. 

Oh, you needn’t be so surprised,” 
said the Brownie; I can do my part 
all right, if you’ll stick to yours. And 


6 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


you needn^t worry about your family, 
either, for I’ll leave an imitation boy 
in your place, and they’ll never know 
the difference. He’ll be hollow inside, 
but your mother said the other day 
at breakfast that she thought you must 
be, and he’ll grumble at most things, 
about the way you do; and when you 
come back he’ll vanish, and you can 
step right into his place.” 

Well,” said Ben, “ it sounds pretty 
good. How do we go? ” 

Right straight through without 
changes, by the new Brownie System. 
You hold my hand and shut your 
eyes; I say the word, and there you 
are.” 


7 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


“ But I^d rather go a different way/^ 
began Ben; but the Brownie inter- 
rupted crossly, — 

“ That sort of talk may do at home, 
but it wonT do with me. If you want 
Christmas changed, youVe got to see 
Santa Claus; and if you want him, 
youVe got to go to the North Pole; 
and if you go to the North Pole, iPs 
got to be my way. Take it or leave it; 
and be quick too. I canT sit on this 
window-ledge all night.” 

I’ll take it,” cried Ben hurriedly 
flinging on his clothes again as he spoke, 
for he thought it would never do to 
miss a chance like this; and besides, 
how envious all the boys at school 


8 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


would be when he told them of his 
adventures! 

Right you are/’ said the Brownie 
heartily. “ Here’s my hand. Hold 
tight now. Shut your eyes. ^ Rumple- 
tibubble — kinfinysco — Hiohi — 
open your eye! Presto Change! ’ ” 

It sounded to Ben like the Home 
College cheer. He hadn’t moved, of 
course. It was all a joke of the Brown- 
ie’s, but he opened his eyes obediently, 
however, and then closed them quickly, 
only to open them once more. Could 
he be dreaming? His room had van- 
ished, the very village about it had 
disappeared. He was standing at the 
beginning of a long avenue of ever- 


9 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 



horns of plenty. 

“Why, they’re Christmas trees,” 
he said suddenly. 

“ Of course,” answered the Brownie, 
who was still by his side; “ what else 
did you expect? And that house in 
the distance, at the end of the drive- 
way, is Santa Claus’ residence. Now 


10 



WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


look here; I^m not going in there, be- 
cause just now weVe had a little dis- 
agreement. But by and by hell come 
out to feed the reindeer for the night, 
and then you slip in and hide behind 
something. There’s a big calendar in 
the work-room, and he goes by that. 
So when he’s not looking, you pull off 
as many leaves as you like, and it will 
bring Christmas that many days nearer. 
When he starts Christmas Eve to 
deliver goods, you can get in the back 
of the sleigh, and so home again. 
Good-bye, I’ve got to go now; ” and 
before the boy could speak the Brownie 
had vanished. 

It was certainly all a very strange 


11 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


proceeding, and Ben felt very lone- 
some and just a trifle frightened in the 
great silence that followed the Brown- 
ie’s chatter. Above, the glittering 
stars shone cold and bright, and about 
him on every side stretched, mile upon 
mile, the snow; no house save one; 
no hills; no trees but those before 
him; no fences; nothing like home; 
only the snow, — for ever and ever 
the untrodden, pathless snow. 

The most friendly thing in the whole 
landscape was a beam of light that 
came from the uncurtained window of 
the house at the end of the long double 
row of Christmas trees, and toward this 
Ben slowly made his way. He had 


12 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


hardly reached the shelter of the porch 
when the door opened and a merry 
round face looked out; then, bearing 
a lighted lantern in one hand, Santa 
Claus himself crossed the threshold. 
Of course Ben knew him at once, as 
he would have known him anywhere, 
though he had never seen him except 
in pictures. He was short and fat 
and rosy, though not quite so fat and 
rosy as usual, he had a long white 
beard, a fur-trimmed suit and cap, 
and great high boots for walking 
through the snow. 

As he passed Ben, never seeing him, 
he began to talk in a jolly kind of voice: 

Let’s see, let’s see. There’s Donner 


13 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


and Blitzen to be fed with the special 
sea-moss, and Cupid^s off shoulder 
must be rubbed well with liniment. 
All the reindeer must be in good condi- 
tion, for there^s plenty of work ahead. 
Plenty of work, and that^s what I 
like and they like too, though I wish 
we had more time; and with a 
quiet chuckle Santa Claus disappeared 
around the corner of the house, while 
Ben crept quietly within. I don^t 
think the dear old saint would have 
been so jolly if he had known every- 
thing just as we know it, do you? It 
made it worse that year because Santa 
Claus was not feeling as strong as 
usual. The fact is he was just up from 


14 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


the measles. He had really had a very 
hard time, for he came down with them 
and the spots came out all over him just 
the night of the worst blizzard of the 
season. 

All the wires were down that ran 
from the top of the North Pole to the 
various kingdoms that were nearest 
Christmas Tree Land, and as you must 
know, it was much too far away for 
any telephone. 

So poor old Santa Claus did every- 
thing he could think of for himself, for 
he simply had to get well. 

Fancy a Christmas with Santa Claus 
in bed with the measles ! It makes one 
hot and cold all over to think of it for 


15 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


a moment, and that was the way, only 
worse, that it made Santa Claus feel. 

He was so worried too about the 
reindeer, for he knew he must never 
in the world go out in that raging 
snow storm to feed them. 

Pretty soon they got dreadfully hun- 
gry and came up to the door and the 
windows stamping their feet and ma- 
king loud and very plaintive reindeer 
noises to beg Santa Claus to please 
hurry up with supper. Their master 
was nearly wild himself, and I donT 
know what would have happened if he 
hadnT managed to think of letting 
down a basket with food in it from an 
upper window. The basket was at- 
16 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 



tached to a 
string, — you 
red and gold; it 
very strong, so 
dare to fill the 
and it took a 
all those hungry 
to keep opening 


candy box 
know the kind, all 
was pretty but not 
Santa Claus didn’t 
basket very full, 
long time to satisfy 
reindeer. He had 
the window and 



17 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


pulling up the empty basket and then 
lowering it again, and every time he 
did it a lot of snow blew in. 

It really wasn^t a bit good for the 
measles. Santa Claus sneezed dread- 
fully every time the wind brought the 
frosty icy particles in through the 
window, and once something dreadful 
happened, for a jumping-jack that was 
dangerously near the sill was blown 
right out into the basket and Blitzen 
ate him up before Santa Claus could 
say My stars and garters! which of 
course he never does say unless he is 
just too dreadfully surprised for any- 
thing. 

It wasn’t good for the reindeer and 




18 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


it wasn^t good for the jumping-jack, 
but it was too late to do anything about 
it, so Santa Claus gave one great big 
sigh and then softly shut the window 
down for the last time. You or I might 
have got mad and banged it, but that 
wasn^t Santa Claus^ way. 

The reindeer trotted off to the stable 

S ^nted and chewing 
with much satisfac- 
all but Blitzen, and 
kept rubbing his 
ach with his front 
, but it was really 
his own fault, for 
if he hadnT been 
so greedy he would 


19 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


have seen the jumping-jack in the 
reindeer food in time to prevent 
himself from swallowing it whole. I 
leave it to you if it isn’t greedy for 
any one to eat as fast and carelessly 
as that. 

Well, the reindeer were all right, for 
they only want one meal a week; that 
is, the imported fancy stock that Santa 
Claus drives are like that; but Santa 
Claus himself wasn’t so well off. 

The Great Bear told the Little Bear, 
who told Orion, who told me that stand- 
ing so long by that open window nearly 
finished Santa Claus. 

Santa Claus finished! B-r-r-r! The 
Great Bear dropped several stars right 
2Q 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


out of the heavens, he shivered so at 
the very idea, and Orion took up a notch 
in his belt and began to get as angry 
as anything at the poor reindeer, who 
really couldn^t help being hungry. 
I know I always am when I don^t eat 
anything for a week, and perhaps even 
greedy Blitzen wasn’t so much to 
blame after all. 

Well, to go back to Santa Claus. He 
wanted to get well like anything and 
if he’d known, as I have said, the trick 
that Ben was going to play upon him, 
I think he would have been just too 
discouraged for anything. Perhaps it 
was best after all that he didn’t. Any- 
way he looked up the old family doc- 


21 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


tor’s book and he did everything for 
himself, and some more too, that it 
mentioned as being good for illness. 

He soaked his feet in mustard and 
hot water and he put goose oil on his 
chest and he wound yards and yards of 
red flannel (left over from last year’s 
dolls’ petticoats) around his throat. . 

Then he took two kinds of pills, a 
brown kind that tasted dreadfully, 
just a few of these, and a good many 
pink pills that were so sweet they 
seemed very much like candy. 

He put on his nightcap and went to 
bed then, but he just couldn’t sleep. 
He got up once about three o’clock 
and put some germ-proof paint on a 


22 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


set of Noah^s Ark animals. Santa 
Claus wouldn^t run any risk of giving 
anybody measles, you may be sure, 
but then you never saw such funny 
looking animals. Perhaps youVe had 
a Noah^s Ark some Christmas that had 
pink cats with black spots on them, and 
blue dogs. Well, they are just the same 
as the ones Santa Claus did that 
night. 

Anxious as he was he saw pretty 
soon it was no use trying to work. It 
was better to toss and turn and count 
up all the things to be done and read 
over the letters he^d received, and make 
plans when he did get better to cut 
short sleep and meal hours and not 


23 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


even stop to pat a reindeer till the 
Christmas toys at least were safe. 

Santa Claus made up his mind right 
then that the children should certainly 
be taken care of. 

When he got well enough to begin 
work once more, I am told, the first 
thing he did was to toss away behind 
his big carpenter’s bench a lot of 
trifles like pearl necklaces and things 
called coupons that rich grown up 
people like. He was willing, of course, 
to take those things in his pack if he 
had time and room, but the dolls and 
the toy elephants and the drums and 
bicycles and such things, the skates and 
the sleds and the candy canes came first. 


24 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


That was Santa Claus’ way, and I 
think it a good one. But all the while 
Ben is waiting and I suppose we had 
better get back to him. By this time 
he was safely enough inside Santa 
Claus’ house. 


25 


CHAPTER II 


To be in such a house in such a way! 
It was enough to turn a boy^s head; 
and Ben didn’t stop to think how much 
pleasanter it would be to walk up 
boldly and ask, like a man, for shelter, 
and enter as a guest, than thus to sneak 
in like a thief when Santa Claus’ back 
was turned. I would like to be able to 
say that Ben felt ashamed; but the 
truth is, he didn’t stop to think of 
anything of the kind, so curious was 
he to see this wonderful place and the 
treasures it contained. 


26 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Having stepped across the thresh- 
old, the boy found himself in a great 
low-ceilinged room, bright and cheery 
and warm. Across the centre of the 
apartment ran a long work-table, with 
many kinds of tools upon it ready for 
use. Ben also saw lying there a pipe, 
and a big brass-bound book, which hap- 
pened to be open, and which evidently 
contained the names of children, some- 
thing about each one, where they 
lived, and ^ what they were 
to receive on r' J Christmas Day. 



27 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


The boy turned back to the front 
pages and soon found his own name. 
He had just read Benjamin Bean: 
short, strong, light hair, pug nose, blue 
eyes, freckles. First cottage to the left 
on Pine Street. Likes to grumble — ’’ 
when Santa Claus’ returning steps 
sounded without, and he jumped back 
so quickly, to escape being seen, that 
he accidentally hit a flaxen-haired 
young lady doll in the chest, and she 
said, Ma! ma! ” so loudly that the boy 
turned cold with fright. However, 
Santa Claus did not hear her, but 
stopped to turn the big key in the front 
door, and Ben had time to crouch 
behind a big pile of newly made drums. 


28 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 

and so near some freshly painted jump- 
ing-jacks that it was all he could do to 
keep from sneezing. 

Much to his relief, however, Santa 
Claus did not seem disposed to work 
any longer that evening; for after 
glancing about to see that all was in 
order, and carefully knocking the ashes 
from his pipe, he slowly climbed up a 
ladder that led to a loft overhead and 
so through a trap-door, which he 
shut carefully after him. 

Ben could hardly believe his good 
fortune. He waited for a few moments 
to make sure that it was safe to come 
out, and then he crept quietly forth. 

Such heaps and heaps of toys! What 

/ 


29 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


should he look at first? But be- 
fore he decided, he would 
make sure of the thing he 
had come so far to 
do, and going to the 
big calendar that 
hung on one side of 
the wall, he began to 
tear off the pages 
with a reckless hand, 
stopping only at December twenty- 
third. 

Then such a night as followed! No 
boy could be sleepy in a room like that, 
and Ben was wide enough awake, I can 
tell you. He ran a beautifully made 
engine up and down a line of tracks 




30 



WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


and in and out of the engine house, 
till he was tired; then a full-rigged 
ship caught his eye; and a marvellous 
game with marbles; and mounted 
horsemen who rang tiny bells as they 
leaped little fences kept him busy for 
quite an hour. I cannot, in fact, begin 
to tell you all that Ben found by turns 
interesting and amusing. 

There were many things there, of 
course, that, being a boy, he passed by 
without a second glance, — things that 
would have made a little girl wild with 
delight: dolls that talked and walked 
and danced, baby dolls, queen dolls, 
nurses, Red-Riding-Hoods, and so on 
with amazing and delightful variety; 


31 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


doll houses completely furnished; toy 
cook-stoves with pots, pans, and ket- 
tles; necklaces; rings; bracelets; and, 
of course, a great variety of toys 
for both girls and boys of younger 
growth, — Noah^s Arks; animals that 
squeaked and growled; fishes that 
floated; trumpets; roly-polys; rattles; 
— it was enough to make your head 
swim. 

Ben saw just the kind of football 
his soul yearned for, and a bicycle 
superior to any in the village; and 
there were kites of curious forms, and 
self-cocking air-guns and other guns 
of different styles, so that he felt very 
much like the donkey between two 


32 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


bales of hay, and asked himself a dozen 
times which should he take first. 

But even a night like this must have 
an end, and Santa Claus is an early 
riser. The morning light began to 
stream into the uncurtained windows, 
and Ben reluctantly took off the po- 
liceman^s helmet which he had just 
donned, and carefully avoiding the 
young lady who said Ma! ma! ’’ 
sought his hiding-place, having first 
provided himself with a generous slice 
of bread and cheese which he had 
found with other eatables in a corner 
cupboard. And none too soon, for at 
that very moment the trap-door above 
opened, and Santa Claus’ ruddy face 


33 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


looked through. Another instant, and 
the Children's Saint was descending 
the ladder. 

Ben had been careful to replace the 
toys as nearly as possible in the order 
he had found them, and Santa Claus 
evidently saw nothing wrong, for after 
a hasty glance he stepped over to the 
calendar. Here he stood stock still, 
and a puzzled, worried look overspread 
his usually merry countenance. Ben 
watched him closely, hardly daring to 
breathe; and he saw Santa Claus take 
a pair of iron-bowed spectacles from 
a shelf, wipe the glasses carefully, and 
again look at the calendar. 

Bless my soul! he said at length. 


34 



"I’VE MISSED A WHOLE MONTH SOMEHOW. 

Page 35 






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WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


How could I have made such a mis- 
take? Nineteen hundred Christmases, 
and never the like before! IVe missed 
a whole month somehow, and here, 
instead of the twenty-third of Novem- 
ber, it^s December twenty-third. It^s 
all those dreadful measles. Bless my 
soul, bless my soul, whatever shall I 
do? And the dear old Saint looked 
so disturbed and saddened that Ben’s 
graceless heart gave a throb of sym- 
pathy, and its owner even began to be 
a little ashamed of the part he had 
taken. 

Well, well,” went on Santa Claus 
briskly, “ no good loitering here. I’ve 
got to do my best, that’s all, and the 


35 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


reindeer will have to do their best. 
To-morrow 1^11 pull that rope that sets 
the Christmas bells ringing for Christ- 
mas Eve, and V\l have to pack up as 
usual, and do all I can not to disap- 
point the children.’^ 

So saying, the dear old fellow trudged 
out into the snow to feed his reindeer; 
and Ben, watching his chance, snatched 
a hasty store of provisions for the day 
from the cupboard, and a bottle of 
water with which to quench his thirst. 

In a few moments back came Santa 
Claus, and then began such a scene as 
the waiting boy had never before be- 
held. Hardly pausing for breath, Santa 
Claus worked at his toys, hammering. 


36 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


painting, pasting; and at last Ben, 
worn out after his journey and his 
night’s excitement, curled up and went 
to sleep. But there was no sleep for 
Santa Claus. All night long he toiled, 
and the dawn of the supposed twenty- 
fourth found him busily packing up for 
his annual journey. 

The green paint came off a monkey 
he was putting in, and stuck all over a 


woolly lamb. 
n’t had 
harden 


The paste had- 
time to 
on the 



37 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


last lot of paper dolls, so that parts of 
their pretty tissue-paper dresses got 
rubbed off. In his haste Santa Claus 
strapped several wrong sizes of skates 
together, such as a No. 3 for one foot 
with a No. 5 for the other; and on con- 
sulting his list, he found, when it was 
too late to change things, that it was 
Tommy Jones that wanted the accor- 
dion, and not Sammy Smith, as he had 
thought. In another family Aunt Maria 
got a tool chest intended for her nephew, 
and he got a fine new pair of gold- 
bowed spectacles. Certainly some 
things did get mixed, but it was pretty 
hard for one pair of hands to do in two 
days’ time the work of a whole month, 
38 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


and even Santa Claus could not fix 
everything just as it should be. It 
was very sad, as it was, to see the dear 
old Saint try to make the toys go 
round; for of course there were some 
orders unfilled, and it nearly broke his 
heart to think of the thin stockings 
and sparely hung Christmas trees that 
must needs be the following morning. 

If there^s any one thing that I like 
better than another, it^s a good fat 
stocking, he murmured, as he flung 
the last lot of Christmas gifts into his 
pack and turned to go out. 

Ben got up and followed silently, 
keeping as much in the shadow as 
possible, and was able to slip into the 


39 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


sleigh and conceal himself under the 
big fur robe without Santa Claus know- 
ing anything about it. The night was 
clear and cold, the reindeer stamped 
their feet impatient to be gone, and 
the bells on the harness jingled as they 
moved. Santa Claus put the pack 
carefully into the sleigh, and then 
jumped in himself. One crack of the 
whip, and away they sped down the 
long avenue of evergreens, and straight 
on across the untrodden waste of snow. 


40 


CHAPTER III 


To go back to every-day life and 
people: you can fancy for yourself the 
wonder felt by all when on what was 
supposed to be the twenty-fourth of 
November the Christmas bells began 
to ring. Of course, nobody thought for 
a moment that Santa Claus had made 
a mistake: that seemed clearly im- 
possible, and in all the towns and 
throughout the country-side the people 
simply hurried and scurried, and 
racked their brains, and tried to make 


41 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


the best of things and get ready, all in 
a moment as it were, for Christmas. 

Ben would have been sorely disap- 
pointed at the success of his venture 
had he heard what people said, and 
how much disappointment instead of 
pleasure his thoughtless act had caused. 
He was to know soon enough, as you 
shall hear, but just now I want you 
to learn something of the distress and 
confusion that at once beset the land. 
It reached all classes of people, from 
the King, who was planning to give the 
Queen a surprise in the shape of a 
new crown, to little Sally in her garret 
chamber, patiently trying to finish a 
new pair of reins for her small brother. 


42 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Nobody had their gifts in readiness, 
— that is, but few did, — and even 
the cooks hadn’t their mince-pies baked 
and their turkeys stuffed; nobody’s 
house was hung with holiday wreaths, 
and none of the candy-shops had those 
fascinating barley animals or other 
sweet stuff that comes expressly for this 
one great feast of the year. The small 
boys were particularly angry, because 
they had lost Thanksgiving Day, and 
people went about with careworn and 
even cross faces, instead of the usual 
jolly Christmas Eve expression. 

Christmas Day itself was hardly 
better. Santa Claus had done his best, 
as we know; but when he listened 


43 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


down the chimney early in the morn- 
ing, as was his invariable habit, he 
heard as many words of disappoint- 
ment as he did cries of pleasure. Some 
small people even sobbed aloud, — 
for what little girl wants a jack-knife, 
and what boy of thirteen a woolly 
lamb that baas? Luckily Santa Claus’ 
hair was white already, or all this 
trouble would have turned it so. 

And what about Ben all this while? 
Still smuggled under the great fur 
robe in the sleigh, he peeped without 
being seen, as after each second trip 
to the housetops Santa Claus’ face 
grew sadder and sadder, until at last, 
when the dear old Saint began to talk 


44 





UNDER THE UREAT FUR ROBE IN THE SLEIGH^ HE PEEPED 
WITHOUT BEING SEEN. Page 44 






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WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 



to himself about the matter, and blame 
himself severely for losing a whole 
month by sheer carelessness and ab- 
sence of mind, — for so he put it, — 
the boy could stand it no longer. With 
trembling fingers he threw aside the 
robe, and hardly noticing Santa Claus^ 


45 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


start of surprise, he plunged into the 
truthful recital of all that he had done, 
and never stopped till the whole story 
was out. 

As he talked, the rosy face of his 
hearer grew grave, but it was evident 
too that Ben^s manly confession of his 
naughtiness had not been lost on one 
who is ever the children’s friend. 

Never has mortal boy before so 
much as seen my sleigh or the tip of a 
single reindeer’s horn,” said Santa 
Claus, after a moment’s pause, when 
Ben at last had told his tale; and 
think now what trouble and sorrow 
you have brought to trusting hearts 
all over this wide earth, and how many 


46 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


little hands are empty through your 
fault. But you are sorry for your act, 
and you shall have a chance to make 
amends. The trouble you have caused 
me I forgive freely, but it is not mine 
to forgive you for spoiling the children's 
pleasure and the happiness of all who 
love Christmas. You must go to-night 
to the Snow Queen, and she shall de- 
cide your punishment. If you do her 
bidding well, on the real Christmas 
Eve, a month from hence, I will myself 
bring you back to your home, and 
leave you there a happy boy. 

As for these poor people so sadly 
cheated of their joy, I will, after you 
have gone to the Snow Queen, sprinkle 


47 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


about in each household a magic pow- 
der, so that some shall never remember 
what has just happened, and those that 
do will think it all a dream. I will 
collect the toys and the other gifts 
I have just left, and the real Christmas 
on the right day will be, I hope, as 
bright and beautiful and glad as any 
I have ever seen. 

As for the Brownie who led you 
into all this trouble, he must pay the 
penalty. He shall go to prison for a 
year, — a Jack-in-the-box he shall be, 
— and I hope the chance to be silent 
and to think will make him less ready 
for mischief.” So saying, Santa Claus 
again turned his reindeer’s heads to 


48 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 

the North, and at the word of command 
they sped homeward. 

Ben did not know what lay before 
him, but in spite of his fears his heart 
was lighter than it had been on the 
journey down, for he felt that at last 
he had done the right thing, and that 
Santa Claus would not let the Snow 
Queen give him any task above his 
strength. 

After leaving the thickly settled dis- 
tricts and on through outlying ham- 
lets, the reindeer took that wonderful 
pace that is at once so even and so 
swift, and which enables their master 
to visit all those thousands of fire- 
sides before cock-crow every Christmas 


49 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


morn; but when they reached the 
avenue of evergreens that led to Santa 
Claus’ home, they did not slacken 
their speed, for they had still some 
miles to go toward the frozen North, 
where the wonderful palace of the 
Snow Queen was standing. 

Ben could now see its frosty towers 
and sparkling roof in the distance, 
and at last tall gates of ice barred their 
way. The sleigh stopped. Ben had 
hardly time to gaze upon the curious 
forms of men, animals, and flowers 
that decorated the massive structure, 
when sentinels clad in dazzling armor 
swung wide the fretted doors, and 
bowing low, received the command 


50 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


with which Santa Claus gave up his 
captive to their keeping. Without a 
word Ben too was clad from head to 
foot in a shining snow-white suit, for 
without such protection he would have 
perished, slain by the first icy breath 
from the Snow Queen^s domain. 

Santa Claus bade him farewell, the 
reindeer started, and after one wistful 
glance, Ben followed his silent guards 
through the gates, and they closed 
heavily behind him. 

Under a long line of frozen arches, 
hung with lamps in which a blue 
light burned, the boy was led, and 
so on and on, up the great ice stairs 
of the Palace, through silent white 


51 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


halls, and at last into the presence of 
the Queen. 

The royal lady was clad in dazzling 
white, and the gaze of her cold blue 
eyes seemed to pierce Ben through and 
through. He saw, as if in a dream, her 
glittering diamond crown; the snowy 
veil that covered her hair, dark as a 
storm cloud; the wonderful throne of 
carved ice upon which she sat; the 
columns covered with beautiful and 
strange frost tracery, that held up the 
ceiling of the great Hall; the motion- 
less rows of maids and men-at-arms: 
all, all in white like their dread mistress. 

Then the Snow Queen spoke, and 
her voice made him think of falling 


52 



HER VOICE MADE HIM THINK OF FALLING ICICLES. 

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WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


icicles, and of the miles and miles of 
frozen, barren country over which he 
had just come. It made his very blood, 
too, run chill and slow in his veins; 
and it was with a sigh of relief that he 
obeyed the silent wave of her hand, 
commanding him to follow the waiting 
guard, and so to his first task. 

This time the scene changed. The 
country all about was still cold and 
bound with the iron grip of never- 
ending Winter; but at a little distance 
the boy saw a snow hut, with openings 
for doors and windows, and much like 
the huts Ben used to build at home, 
only many times larger. 

“ Here,’’ said the guide, speaking 


53 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


for the first time, here is the home 
of the Great-Grandmother of the Polar 
Bears. You must obey her as you 
would the Snow Queen herself. On 
your faithfulness much depends.^’ 

They reached, as he spoke, the door 
of the hut. My Sovereign sends this 
boy,’’ he said through the opening, 
pushing Ben within as he spoke. His 
life is under the royal protection, but 
his services are yours to do with as 
you wish. When the moon changes, I 
will call for him and bring to my mis- 
tress the report of his conduct.” 

From the glare without to the half 
darkness within was such a change that 
for a moment Ben could see little but 
54 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


a tumbling mass of white that rolled 
about on the floor of the hut. His ears, 
however, were greeted instantly with 
a sharp chorus of yelps and growls, 
and he shrank back, not knowing 
what was to come next. But a gruff 
voice bade him draw nearer, and he 
was now able to see that the squirming 
thing at his feet was really three or 
four little Bears, rolling over and over, 
and biting and cuffing one another, 
half in frolic and half in anger. The 
yelps and growls came from them, but 
the big voice of command proceeded 
from an immense yellow-white She- 
Bear, who reclined on a block of ice 
at one side of the hut. 


55 


CHAPTER IV 


And now began such a life as Ben 
had never even faintly imagined. He 
was, to all intents and purposes, to 
play nurse to four quarrelsome young 
Bears, and to please as best he could 
their cross old Great-Grandmother, 
who, in her way, was even harder to 
suit than the youngsters. 

Bluff,’’ the eldest of the three 
brothers, was fond of being pushed 
about on a cake of ice on the unfrozen 
water near the hut, and it was lucky 
Ben was a strong boy for his age, for 


56 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


it was no light task, shoving around a 
young Bear of this size, as I can tell 
you. 

Tough,’’ the second brother, was 
always fighting, and had to be contin- 
ually pulled out of trouble by the tip 
of his tail; and this, too, was no easy 
matter. 

Squealeow,” their baby sister, was 
forever whining, no matter how hard 
Ben tried to please her; and perhaps, 
after all, she was the one who had most 
to do with changing the boy for the 
better, for Ben soon got so sick and 
tired of hearing her grumble that he 
made up his mind never again to do 
the same himself. 


57 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


There remained but one other little 
Bear, and he was called Grip; and 
a good name it was for him, for he was 
so selfish that he always managed to 
get the largest piece of blubber at 
meals, and was always trying to turn 
his brothers and sisters out of the cold- 
est corner at night. 

As for the Great-Grandmother, she 
was very particular about her coat, 
and the thing that Ben disliked most 
of all was to stand by the hour and 
comb out the snarls that would get, 
for all his pains, in her long yellow- 
white fur. 

He learned a number of things here, 
however, that were amazingly useful 


58 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


afterward. For one thing, to mind 
when he was first spoken to; and for 
another, not to answer back; for the 
old She-Bear was as ready with her 
paw as with her tongue, and Ben was 
often knocked off his feet, end over 
end, head first into the snow. It didn^t 
hurt particularly, but it was very dis- 
agreeable, and he soon found that 
the Great-Grandmother of the Bears 
was far more likely to keep her tem- 
per when he succeeded in keeping 
his; and after that things went more 
smoothly. 

But one day poor Ben really had a 
dreadfully hard time. It wasn^t his 
fault either, but I suppose in by-gone 


59 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


days, when he had been at home, he had 
often blamed people for things they 
couldn’t help, and this might have been 
part of the lesson he was so painfully 
and slowly learning. 

At any rate it began with the Bears 
having a picnic. I think there are 
some words that are just as nice as 
they can be. Christmas is one and 



60 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


picnic is a very nice word too. Ben 
used to, but he doesn^t now. In fact 
he can^t bear it. I didn^t mean to 
make that kind of a joke, but 1^11 leave 
it in, for it is the way Ben has felt ever 
since that day with Bluff, Tough, 
Squealeow and Grip. The plan was 
for all five to take lunch, some blubber 
pie, and seal cutlet, and minced walrus 
and frozen fish cakes and other such 
dainties that the bears love and that 
Ben hated, and go to a certain ice pack 
where there was good cold water bath- 
ing in holes and fishing and snow sli- 
ding. The great She-Bear was about to 
have one of her left over naps. She 
slept most of the winter anyway, but 


61 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


she always kept a few days for any 
extra sleeping she might wish to do, 
and now that Ben was at hand to take 
care of her grandchildren, she was very 
well pleased to turn them over to him. 

Ben had been sub on a scrub fresh- 
man football eleven and it helped him 
now, for his four charges were pretty 
big and as troublesome and rough as 
you can imagine. He didn^t enjoy the 
idea of a whole day alone with the four 
in the open, but there was no help for 
it, and he had to shoulder the heavy 
basket filled with polar bear food and 
trudge along after his squealing, quar- 
relsome quartet. They began almost 
before they had left the snow hut, to 


62 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


make him trouble, and before they 
reached the picnic grounds, which, by 
the way, were very near the big North 
Pole itself, Ben was heartily tired of 
the whole party. 

The North Pole had been painted, 
one day lately, by Santa Claus. It was 
red, white and blue, for Santa Claus 
had said he was sure an American 
would be the first to find it and he 
thought it would be nice for the ex- 
plorer to see his own country's colors 
after such a long, hard trip. The 
children's Saint is always thinking of 
kind things to do like that. Anyway 
the paint was fresh, and there were 
some shingles lying round where Santa 


63 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Claus had used some new props to 
steady the big pole itself. 

The four bears were very destructive, 
and they got into that paint the very 
first thing and smeared it and got it 
all over themselves, besides spoiling 
the looks of the pole itself. It made 
Ben angry because it was such a silly 
thing to do, and he knew it would make 
Santa Claus feel badly to see how care- 
less the four bears had been, and Ben 
knew, too, it would take a very long 
time to shampoo those paint marks out 
of the bears’ white fur. And the great 
Bear Grandmother was so particular. 
That is the way they began, and they 
went from bad to worse. 


64 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Squealeow whined all the time, that 
is, when she wasn’t telling tales on the 
others, and Tough and Bluff said hardly 
anything to each other but “ Shut up,” 
“ I won’t,” You mean old thing,” 
and had such bad manners generally 
that Ben was disgusted. It made him 
very red in the face to remember that 
he used to talk that way a good deal 
himself not so very long ago, but then 
he hadn’t had to listen for many icy 
hours to two polar bears doing it, while 
he himself was trying to keep warm and 
keep the peace as well, all the while 
sitting or standing about on a cold, 
cold ice pack with nobody to give him 
any help or comfort whatsoever. Pic- 


65 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


nic! A nice picnic that was and Ben 
was glad when lunch time came, for it 
showed that the short arctic day 
would be the sooner over. 

Lunch time! But do you know 
what happened then? 

Ben had put the basket down on a 
big block of ice not very far away, and 
he had been too busy since to notice 
it. Grip had been very quiet, oh, 
yes, very, very quiet! He had soon 
strolled away by himself, after the 
arrival of the five at the playgrounds, 
and when Ben lifted up the cover of 
the basket he knew the reason why. 

The basket was there all safe enough, 
but the lunch! 


66 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Three small polar bears gave one 
look, and then three very big squeals 
of rage and grief rent the air. For 
there was no lunch at all. Only a 
few crumbs were left, and some of these 
were sticking to Gripes whiskers. 

And Grip was very fat. His stom- 
ach was as round as a balloon, and he 
didnT in the least seem to mind the fact 
that the basket was empty. 

On the contrary he did the most 
aggravating thing he could think of. 
He just sat on his tail and whistled! 

Fancy! Two whole blubber pies, 
six large seal cutlets, four minced 
walrus rolls, one dozen frozen fish 
cakes! Ben knew for a fact that the 
67 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY' 


great She-Bear had put all that in the 
basket, and now — No wonder Grip 
was fat. The real wonder was he 
didn^t burst. I should think he would 
have wanted to run at least, but of 
course after a meal like that he simply 
couldn^t run if he did want to, and I 
believe that besides being so selfish 
and greedy he liked to make his two 
brothers and sister feel bad. 

There arenT many polar bears as 
naughty as that, but I have been told 
that Grip was the very worst of that 
family. 

Nobody did anything for a moment, 
and then Squealeow, who liked blubber 
pie better than anything in the whole 


68 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


arctic circle, rushed at her brother and 
cuffed him. It wasn^t a very big cuff, 
because she was the smallest of them 
all, but what do you think Grip did? 

I^m going to put it in big letters. 
It is so perfectly dreadful. 

HE BIT A PIECE OUT OF 
HER EAR. 

There, you know it now, though it 
is so bad perhaps I shouldnT have told 
you. And it made Ben mad. He didnT 
care much for Squealeow, but when a 
big brother does a thing like that to 
his little sister he just couldn’t stand 
it. Did I tell you there were shingles 
lying about? Well, in about two min- 
utes Ben had one, and he had Grip 
69 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


over his knees, and, well. Grip had the 
surprise of his life. It isn^t nice to be 
spanked even if you have on a thick 
fur suit, and Ben was strong. Did I 
tell you, too, that he had played sub 
on a scrub freshman eleven? Well, 
Grip thought Ben strong enough to 



70 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


eleven. Oh, how Grip squealed! All 
the other bears sat with their mouths 
wide open and their tongues hanging 
out. They admired Ben very much, 
but their brother's cries were being car- 
ried to the snow hut where the Bears^ 
Great-Grandmother lived. She stirred 
uneasily in her sleep, then she sneezed, 
then she sat up and listened. Then she 
gave one great bound out of the hut. 

Ben saw her coming. She was going 
as fast as an express train and her eyes 
looked like two green automobile 
lamps, so Ben thought he had better 
drop Grip and the shingle. It didn't 
matter so very much, for the shingle 
had broken, anyway. 


71 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


There might not be any more to this 
story, but just as she reached him a 
soldier of the Snow Queen turned the 
corner. He had seen the whole thing 
from behind the end of an iceberg, and 
he made the big She-Bear stop. 

He explained it all to her, and when 
she saw Squealeow’s torn ear she for- 
gave Ben at once. The little bear was 
her favorite polar grandchild, and she 
just said a few words to Grip. She 
told him she didnT feel the need of 
any shingle, but she said she thought 
she should have use for her paw when 
they got home. 

Grip didnT dare even to squeal. His 
grandmother led him into the snow 


72 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


hut by the ear and the rest all waited 
outside. 

There isnT anything more to say 
except that he never in his life bit any- 
body again. I donT think he ever 
even wanted to. 

That was the end of the famous pic- 
nic. Of course Ben had a number of 
other trying times with the Bear fam- 
ily, but none as bad as that. The four 
youngsters were now all a little afraid 
of him, and with some kinds of bears 
this isn’t a bad thing. The great She- 
Bear saw too after a while that Ben 
was trying hard to do his best and to 
be pleasant and obedient and fair. 
She never really liked him, because it 


73 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


wasn^t in her nature to like any boy, 
but she disliked him much less than she 
had thought possible. She showed it 
by seeing that Ben got his share of the 
fattest bits of blubber at meal times, 
and things like that. It was pretty 
hard on Ben, for he would much rather 
have gone hungry, but he saw she 
meant well, so he tried to eat what she 
gave him without any fuss. When 
you remember how disagreeable he 
used to be at home only a short time 
before when there was only one kind 
of pudding and no ice-cream for des- 
sert, you will, I am sure, agree with me 
that Ben was very much improved 
indeed. 


74 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


He was not sorry, however, I can 
tell you, when the moon changed, and 
the guard, having received a pretty 
good report of his conduct, led him 
once more into the presence of the 
Snow Queen. 

Her Majesty looked him over with 
a little more interest, Ben thought, 
than she had shown before. 

I have a great mind to put him 
into Mother Nature^s workshop,’’ she 
said. My friend Sir Santa Claus 
tells me this mortal boy was very 
destructive while at home,” Ben hung 
his head, ^^so perhaps it would be 
a wise thing to let him mend a few 
broken things and help Mother Nature, 


75 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


who is quite overworked as it is, poor 
dear. There is always enough to do, 
and some of her people are so careless. 
North Wind blew the tree tops all over 
the place the other day, she told me, and 
rooted up I don’t know how many young 
spring plants. A bulb isn’t safe a min- 
ute when that North Wind begins to 
frolic. He never knows enough to stop. 
Just like some boys,” the Queen added. 

Ben had learned enough by this 
time not to interrupt or contradict a 
Queen; in fact there are few royal 
personages who can stand anything 
of the kind for a moment. He knew, too, 
that they had a sudden way of stopping 
an argument by simply saying: Off 


76 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


with his head! and that generally set- 
tled the question. Ben rather wanted 
to keep his head, and besides, he felt 
with shame that perhaps there was 
some truth in her Majesty^s remarks. 
There were a good many broken toys 
and other things as well that could 
witness against him, so probably Ben 
followed the wisest plan after all when 
he let the Queen do all the talking. 

Besides that, anything, he felt, would 
be an improvement over his late task. 
He never wanted to see a bear again 
as long as he lived; and he had always 
rather liked sloyd in school. Would 
Mother Nature^s workshop be any- 
thing like that, he wondered? 


77 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Meanwhile the Queen had ceased 
and all the courtiers had also stopped 
saying How true! How wise! 

How delightfully spoken! such mur- 
murs always following as a matter of 
course any remark whatsoever of their 
royal mistress. 

Her Majesty meanwhile had beck- 
oned to a soldier; and given him her 
commands. 

Ben bowed low, — he had learned that 
this was expected also, — and then he 
found himself in a few moments out- 
side the Palace. 

The guard motioned him to seat 
himself on a toboggan richly gilded 
and decorated with the Queen’s colors. 


78 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


that was waiting for them at the top 
of a steep hill near at hand. Another 
instant and Ben was having the ride 
of his life. 


Coasting! 


Why, it was 
more like 
flying. 



mu 


felt 

it almost 
paid him for 
his experience at 
that dreadful picnic, and it was sim- 
ply wonderful the way they took the 
curves. If only the boys at school 
could see him. 


79 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Faster and faster! Up one slope 
and down another and over some of 
the most jouncey jounces you ever 
saw or could even imagine. It was all 
too short, though they must have come 
many miles before the toboggan began 
to slacken its speed. The air was 
growing milder also. Ben pushed back 
the hood of his fur coat with one hand. 
He had still to cling fast with the other, 
but by now his wonderful coast was 
over. 

He was pulled to his feet by the 
guard, who motioned him to pile his 
warm mittens, fur boots, coat and 
hood on the ground beside him, ground 
on which there was no longer ice or 


80 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


snow, but tiny spears of green growing 
grass. 

A huge unpainted building stretched 
its long length before them. From it 
came the sound of busy work. Ham- 
mers were evidently in use within, and 
saws, and the whir of some great wheel. 

Ben looked with all his eyes, and 
as he did so, the door opened, and out 
hobbled an old woman. Ben thought 
she must at least have been a hundred, 
but he flattered her. She was many 
many hundreds of years old. 

No wonder she was wrinkled and 
brown and bent. But she was ama- 
zingly spry for all that and her little 
blue eyes were sharper than any gimlet. 


81 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


They seemed to look right through 
Ben, way to his backbone, and the 
Ice Queen^s soldier straightened up, 
and saluted, as though in the presence 
of his own dread mistress. 

Well,” said the old lady, coming 
toward them, Noah^s dove came in, 
and dropped her olive branch long 
enough to say that the Ice Queen had 
sent me a helper — Goodness knows 
we need one. In the last few thousand 
years I Ve been Mother Nature’s house- 
keeper, I’ve never seen things so at 
sixes and sevens. The poor dear has 
so much on her mind she forgot she 
let a baby earthquake loose without 
any directions, and my! the damage 


82 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


that was done! You wouldn^t believe 
it. Mother Nature cried and cried 
and quite flooded one part of the 
country, and then in the confusion 
the seasons got changed about, and 
summer wasn^t properly mixed. It^s 
going to be much too hot some days, 
and much too cold some others right 
near together, though IVe done my 
best to fix things. 

And the Earth people are so par- 
ticular and hard to suit. They donT 
at all realize that housekeeping isnT so 
easy even with all my experience.” 

She fixed her sharp little eyes on Ben. 

I suppose youVe heard the verse,” 
she went on; 


83 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


A man^s a fool as a rule 
When it’s hot he wants it cool 
When it’s cool he wants it hot 
Always wanting what it’s not.’ 

“ There, that to my mind^s the most 
sensible poetry I ever read.’^ She 
turned briskly to the soldier. 

Come, come,’^ she said, don^t 
stand talking here; there^s a great deal 
to be done, as IVe told you, and 
I never had a mortal boy before 
for a helper. Tell the Ice Queen 
he^s safe with me and that 111 do 
my best with him, and now good- 
bye.’^ 

She walked toward the house and 
Ben followed. 


84 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


What experience have you ever 
had with snails? ’’ she asked. 

Ben stared. 

Dear, dear, that’s a pity,” went on 
Mother Nature’s housekeeper without 
waiting for more of an answer. “ We’re 
terribly behind hand on revarnishing 
snails’ shells, and they are so slow about 
their appointments. I’ve waited a 
whole week for one whose house needed 
attention the worst way. 

'' You know, I suppose, they carry 
their houses with them? ” 

Yes,” said Ben, '' I know that.” 

And that’s what makes it so hard. 
For we’ve a fine express service and 
if Mr. Snail could only stay at home 


85 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


and let us call for his house, we would 
have the work done, and over with, in 
the time it takes him to begin to get 
ready. IVe spent a good many hours 
arguing with Mother Nature. But, 
poor dear, she is so set in her ways. 
It’s an old-fashioned notion of hers to 
have the snail and his house go to- 
gether, and there it is. However, 
she may change her mind. From some- 
thing she said I shouldn’t be surprised 
if that were different in a few thousand 
years or so.” 

Ben gasped, but the old lady went 
on without noticing. They were in 
the house now, but Mother Nature’s 
housekeeper was still talking. Yes,” 


86 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


she said proudly, it was entirely my 
idea, having the lobsters and crabs 
grow on another claw themselves, if 
anything happened to the one they 
had at first. Self-help! that^s my 
motto, and I wish more of the crea- 
tures had it. 

Well, what^s the trouble now? ” 
she questioned, for a little elf in green 
and brown with an anxious face had 
come hurrying up to them. 

Please, Dame Careful,’’ he said, 
Parsnips upset the grass stain all over 
the pinks, and we’ve rubbed and 
scrubbed but it only makes them 
streaky. It wasn’t a very big lot 
though — ” 


87 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Now whatever shall I do? ” said 
Mother Nature’s housekeeper in de- 
spair. “ That’s the very last pot 
of pinks in the place. Their edges 
were too ragged and they were sent 
in to be trimmed, and now see 



88 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


heard of a green pink? The repair 
shop will be disgraced. Where’s that 
good-for-nothing Parsnip? ” 

Please, ma’am, he’s hiding. He 
got into a century plant and he won’t 
come out, and it isn’t due to open 
itself for ninety-nine more years,” 
answered the elf. 

My senses! ” exclaimed the house- 
keeper, looking about as though in 
search of an idea. 

Please,” said Ben, who had sud- 
denly remembered having heard his 
father talking about a flower show, 
^M’ve been told that where I came from, 
a green pink would be worth a lot of 
money. They try to make pond lilies 


89 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


blue and other colors, I know, and 
isn’t there somebody who’s poor you 
could send the green pinks to? ” 

The very thing,” said Dame Care- 
ful in great delight. I knew you were 
a bright boy the minute I set eyes 
on you. I’ll send those pinks to that 
little lame girl, that Mother Nature 
told me about. Perhaps she’ll get 
money enough for them to get a real 
doctor who can cure her. They’ve 
left her quite alone to Mother Nature 
so far, but she, poor dear, isn’t really 
up with the times in these cases, and 
I’ve heard her say that little girl was 
a darling. Well, I am pleased, but 
Parsnips will get his ears boxed all 


90 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


the same, if I do have to wait ninety- 
nine years to do it.’’ 

So saying, Dame Careful led the 
way into the very heart of the wonder- 
ful repair shop, and it was plain she had 
taken a great fancy to Ben, for she 
took pains to explain all he saw, and 
finally ended by giving him the most 
interesting work of all. It was that of 
manager of the painting department, 
where everything was done, from re- 
tinting the clouds pink, and gold, and 
lavender, and even fiery crimson, to 
touching up butterflies’ wings with the 
most gorgeous colors. 

A white robin that had somehow 
escaped was brought to him to start 


91 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


with, and Ben studied his nature book 
with its colored pictures so carefully 
that he succeeded in turning out a first 
class robin that nobody need have been 
ashamed of. 

This then was the beginning, as I 
have said, and in that strange and in- 
teresting place the days went swiftly 
by. Of course it wasn’t always exactly 
as he liked it. The butterflies were 
careless, some of them, about keeping 
their appointments; and the glowworms 
and fireflies would use up the bat- 
teries that made them light up just 
fooling around and not tending to 
business, as they should, and this 
almost as fast as one could 6x them. 

92 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


It was also hard to make a wiggly garter 
snake hold still long enough to be re- 
painted, and the bees would mislay 
their stings. 

Still, Ben felt on the whole that it 
was a good deal more fun to mend 
things than to break them. He never 
was able to tell very much about it, 
though he met the most remarkable 
people. Jack Frost, who tinted leaves 
and made wonderful ice pictures, was 
one person whose acquaintance he 
made and one who promised to come 
and see Ben at home. 

Vll pinch your nose some fine day,’^ 
laughed Jack, and remind you of 
old times here.^^ 


93 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Ben found that everybody spoke 
with the greatest love and respect 
of Santa Claus. He^s the very kind- 
est person in all fairy land/’ they said, 
and every time he was mentioned 
Ben’s cheeks burned at the thought 
of the mean trick he had played on 
the children’s friend. 

However, he was doing all he could 
to make up for it now, and he worked 
hard and faithfully. 

Dame Careful trusted him more and 
more, and she almost wept when the 
time drew near to say good-bye. 

Ben was half sorry too, though he 
was so anxious to get through his 
punishment and be home once more. 


94 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


that nothing, however strange and 
exciting, could have tempted him to 
stay longer than need be. 

All this time he never saw Mother 
Nature once though he heard her 
spoken of constantly. He didn^t even 
know where she lived. Dame Careful 
shook her head at him when he asked 
her, but one day he heard her murmur 
to herself, over a lot of broken material 
in the repair shop, Wasteful, care- 
less Mother Nature, but poor dear, 
she’s so busy, and what after all 
should we do without her? ” and that 
was the most that Ben learned of the 
great Mother. 

But the time to go, as I have said. 


95 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


at length arrived, and with words of 
the very highest praise of his conduct, 
Dame Careful turned him over to 
the same soldier of the Ice Queen who 
had brought him thither. 

This time his task was to bring a 
perfect diamond necklace to his royal 
mistress, and he was told how to do 
so, led to the proper place, and there 
left alone. 

On Christmas Eve I will seek you 
here,’’ said the guard, “ and if your 
task is finished, you will be set without 
the gates and free once more. Should 
you fail, another year awaits you 
within the Snow Queen’s Kingdom.” 

Ben now found himself in the royal 


96 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


garden, and the sight that met his eyes 
was more strange and beautiful than 
anything he had yet seen. Every- 
thing here, as elsewhere, was white, 
but with a soft, shimmering whiteness, 
quite unlike the cold, steely glitter of 
the Palace. 

Out of the pure snow that lined the 
garden walk grew countless beautiful 
flowers: stately lilies and white roses; 
and in one special bed, a clump of 
priceless edelweiss. It was these blos- 
soms that he was to watch with pa- 
tience, for at midnight a single drop of 
dew would fall into the flower^s heart; 
at that instant the Northern Lights 
would flash, and their shimmering 


97 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


glory be imprisoned within the drop 
of dew. Then it was Ben’s task to 
pluck the flower, and if he did so at 
the right moment, the drop in its 
centre would harden and turn into a 
perfect diamond. This would happen 
for twelve nights, and Ben knew he 
must be constant and not fail to tend 
all the Queen’s flowers carefully, es- 
pecially the edelweiss, so that the 
white blossoms would stand upright 
on their stems and not droop from lack 
of care. 

Great birds with snowy plumage 
preened their feathers on the ice- 
bound branches of the trees in the gar- 
den, and butterflies with silvery wings 


98 



BEN FOUND THE GARDEN VERY LONEL\ . 

Page 99 









WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


floated from flower to flower; and 
when night came, the moon rose high 
in the heavens, and the stars blazed 
with a glory unknown to other climes. 

In its way, this work was as hard as 
the other, for here the silence was 
unbroken, and for all its loveliness 
Ben found the garden very, very 
lonely. He was tired, too, though not 
hungry, for in the Snow Queen^s King- 
dom people rarely need to eat; but 
Ben did want to sleep, and yet he 
dared not, at least until every task 
was done and the midnight hour had 
struck, when the weary lad would 
pillow his head upon the snow and 
snatch a few hours^ longed-for rest. 


99 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


Eleven nights had come and gone, 
and eleven perfect diamonds had 
crowned his work. But one more was 
needed, and then home! How his 
heart ached at the word; how much he 
wanted his mother^ s arms, and how he 
wished for his father^s voice and the 
merry voices of his brothers and sis- 
ter! And his little white bed — I’m 
afraid it was thinking of that which 
made poor Ben’s eyes so strangely 
heavy. At any rate, the silver chimes 
in the royal tower pealed once and 
again without the gardener’s knowl- 
edge. Ten o’clock, eleven o’clock — 
Ben heard them not, for he was fast 
asleep. Swift and sure came the mid- 


100 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


night hour. ^ ' One ! two ! three ! 
four! ” pealed the bells, and the North- 
ern Lights flashed in the heavens. 

Five! six! seven! eight! One 
bright ray struck sharp on the boy's 
closed eyelids. Nine! ten! " Ben 
opened his bewildered eyes and sat 



101 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


up. Eleven! twelve! — but at the 
last stroke his hand closed as by in- 
stinct over the last unplucked edel- 
weiss, and the twelfth diamond rolled 
upon the ground at his feet. 

At the same moment the voice of the 
guard rang in his ears: Twelve per* 
feet stones! Well done. I bring the 
Queen’s dismissal. You are free; ” 
and Ben found himself hurried along 
through a maze of walks, out under 
the arches of the entrance, and so 
through the great carved gates of ice, 
which slowly closed behind him, the 
man-at-arms having taken from him 
the suit that he had worn on first 
entering those same portals. 


102 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


He was alone, quite alone, with the 
Snow Queen's Kingdom at his back, 
and before him hundreds of miles of 
ice-bound country. His heart sank. 
Had Santa Claus forgotten him? Was 
he to be left to perish thus, just as he 
had earned forgiveness for his fault? 

But now, as if in answer to the 
thought, a tiny mouse-like train ap- 
peared in the distance, and the faint 
sound of bells was borne upon the air. 
Swiftly the sleigh approached, and in 
a brief space Santa Claus had caught 
the shivering boy in his arms, had 
tucked him well up under the big fur 
robe, and saying, I go to-night, my 
brave Ben, to your home first/' had 


103 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


turned the willing reindeer in that 
direction. 

Again the boy’s lids were heavy, 
and now there was naught for which 
he must waken. He felt safe and warm 
and happy, and the sleigh-bells kept 
saying in a delightful jingle, Home 
again, home again,” and by and by, 
“ Merry Christmas, Merry Christ- 
mas, Merry Christmas.” 

He opened his eyes and rubbed them. 

Well, of all the sleepy boys!” 
said his mother’s voice; and there he 
was, safe and sound in his four-post 
bed, while about him danced his broth- 
ers and sister, each with a fat stock- 


104 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


ing clasped tight in their hands; while 
his father in dressing-gown and slip- 
pers, and rather sleepy though still 
smiling, stood pointing to a similar 
stocking that hung from the fireplace 
Q opposite. 

After that it did not take 
Ben long to wake up. And 
the list of treasures that were 
waiting for him was almost as 
surprising as the ad- 
ventures through 


s 



105 




WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY 


which he had just passed; and the 
grateful joy with which he received 
them, without one single word of 
fault-finding, was more wonderful yet 
to his father and mother, who, of 
course, did not know about all these 
strange happenings. 

A little later Ben counted his gifts 
once more, — the promised skates from 
his mother; a double-runner with 

The Crimson Flyer ” on it, from his 
father; a purple worsted muffler from 
Aunt Maria, who believed only in 
presents that were useful; a double- 
barrelled shot gun from Uncle Will, who 
didn’t mind danger if only the children 
were happy; a box of home-made 


106 


WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME TOO EARLY ^ 


taffy from Sister Mary; a bank and a 
book from his two brothers. 

Yes; and what was that at the very 
toe of his stocking? Ben held it up 
to the wondering eyes of his family: 
a jack-knife, — the most complete 
thing of its kind, with two blades, a 
corkscrew, a pair of scissors, and a 
gimlet, and attached to it a piece of 
paper, on which was written — 

With the Compliments of Santa Claus.’’ 

A joke of Uncle WilFs,” said his 
father, laughing; but Ben knew better. 

THE END. 


107 



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